After spending two days reading over it and discussing it, Saugeen Shores council has sent the muncipal budget back for staff to come up with ways of reducing its impact on taxpayers.
Council hasn’t made any cuts to the 2009 budget, but they want staff to come up with a set of priorities that include spending that could be put off for another year.
As it sits now, the budget has 14 million dollars for operating costs and 7 million for capital projects.
That would mean a ten percent increase in the amount of taxes the town collects, but council and staff want to keep that increase closer to three percent. Over 500 thousand dollars would have to be taken out of the budget to achieve that.
Councillor Victoria Serda doesn’t want to see items like the next phase of the study for a new aquatic facility and the accessible playground removed.
She says they are important community needs and believes the town should go ahead with them while funding for recreational facilities announced in the recent federal budget is still available.
Serda would like to see the business plan for the pool project developed so council can next look into securing grants for it.
75 thousand dollars from the town would go towards the accessible playground, while the rest of the 200 thousand dollar price tag would be covered through fundraising and an anticipated Ontario Trillium Foundation grant.
Serda would like to see council allow fundraising for the playground start soon.
She says the momentum has already built up for fundraising and the budget is controllable.
Councillor Luke Charbonneau suggests less money could be transferred to reserves, freeing it up for operating and capital costs.
Councillor Fred Schildroth suggests holding off on issuing laptops to every member of council.
Mayor Mike Smith says staff will look further at what budget savings can be made and then it will be up to council to decide what should be removed or added.
Saugeen Shores Councillors hold their next budget planning session on March 4.
